Salami Nduja

Happy Salami Season!!!! It’s that time of the year when I go all salamied out because Purim, and it’s been a Busy In Brooklyn tradition for years now!

It all started with this thing I read about salami being hung like the evil haman in the Purim story and a tradition was born to trash up salami every which way in true Purim spirit.

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of my viral DRUNKEN HASSELBACK SALAMI that’s become a staple in Jewish homes and deli counters worldwide, and the ever popular SALAMI BABKA that made waves in recent years.

I’m always dreaming up new salami ideas, and this year I took inspiration from Chef Erick Vargas Bromberg (@evb_nyc), formerly of one of my favorite kosher restaurants of all time, Boru Boru.

Erick served up salami nduja at his most recent job at Gruit (he has since left) and I was intrigued! Nduja (pronounce en-doo-ya) is a spreadable sausage, traditionally made with the nonkosher meat (if you know what I mean!) and calabrian chilies, but Eric used salami and gochujang (Korean chili paste), layered with smoked navel fat. I’m not usually a pâté person but it was GOOD and it made me see salami in a whole new light!

It ain’t easy doing something new and exciting with salami every year so I was grateful for the inspo! I made my own version which is not too spicy, a bit smoky, salty and all around deeeelicious.

I recommend serving with crusty bread, crackers, lots of pickles and plenty of wine, of course. Happy Purim!!

Salami Nduja

14oz. Abeles & Heymann salami, roughy chopped
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil
2 tbsp oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (such as Huy Fong) or sriracha, to taste

Method:

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Other Salami Recipes:

last year: salami tarte tatin
two years ago: salami potato latkes
three years ago: salami babka
four years ago: salami quiche
five years ago: beer battered salami chips with beer mustard
six years ago: drunken hasselback salami
seven years ago: salami chips

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Vegan Elote Seasoning Blend

If you’re a Trader Joe’s fan like myself, chances are you heard about their latest spice to go viral, the EVERYTHING BUT THE ELOTE seasoning blend. Like everything new to TJ’s, word spread fast and everyone went to hoard the spice. Reviews have been mixed, but I was definitely intrigued.

If you’re a follower of my blog, or a fan of my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, you know I’m all about trying new things, especially different types of ethnic cuisine! I’ve recently been on a tajin kick (a chili spice blend that inspired Trader Joes famous blend), but I have yet to make classic elote,  a popular street food in Mexico.

To make elote, corn on the cob is grilled, slathered in mayo or crema, and then rolled in a mixture of cotija cheese (like a cross between parmesan and feta), chili powder and lime. Sounds amazing, I know, which is why TJ’s went for it! Their first intro to the spice was their Elote-spiced corn chip dippers, and since it flew off the shelves, they decided to work on a seasoning blend.

As posted on Trader Joe’s website, “In the spirit of our Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend that came before it, Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning Blend is “Everything” you might find on elote—chile pepper, Parmesan cheese, chipotle powder, cumin, dried cilantro, sea salt, etc.—minus the corn itself. (We also add some corn flour & cane sugar, so there’s really no mistaking what it’s meant to mimic.)” SAY NO MORE.

Unfortunately for me, since the product is dairy, and I adhere to the laws of cholov yisroel, (a kosher stringency in which dairy products must be made from milk that has been milked by a Jew), I could not taste it – so I did better, I made it! If you caught the fun process on my Instagram story, I basically broke down the ingredients from the label, shopped for it, and tested different amounts of each until I was happy with the results. I got it on the fourth try!

Homemade vegan elote seasoning is easy to make, and the ingredients are fairly easy to find. I found the corn flour from Bob’s Red Mill, and I used Trader Joe’s nutritional yeast. All the others can be easily found at your local supermarket.

If you’ve tried the TJ version, I would love to hear how it compares to my blend, so leave a comment or shoot me a DM!

Vegan Elote Seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt
Scant 1/2 tsp cumin
Scant 1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp sour salt or citric acid

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add to a jar and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

ELOTE SEASONING USES:
mix with sour cream or mayo for dip
sprinkle on corn on the cob
sprinkle on popcorn
add to cornbread
add to cornflakes for chicken fingers
add to panko for fish sticks
sprinkle on roasted green beans
sprinkle on roasted broccoli
sprinkle on roasted chickpeas

VARIATION: to make this dairy, just use parmesan instead of nutritional yeast.


Related Recipes:

grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter
vegetarian cornbread

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Sweet Hawaiian Deli Skewers

The Super Bowl is just around the corner and although I’m not a sports fan, I’ll take any excuse for a party! Especially when said party involves lots of finger food!


I’ve never been into sports, although I grew up with brothers who were big into the game so I totally get the hype! I’m happy to let the guys do their thing in front of the TV, while I do my thing in the kitchen. Just as there’s a strategy in the sport, there should be one in your menu planning too – lots of deli, plenty of small bites, and don’t forget the drinks!

When Domino® Sugar reached out to me about their new Domino® Golden Sugar, I was stoked to work it into a Super Bowl recipe! I love that it’s less-processed than granulated sugar and that it has a hint of molasses flavor. Domino® Golden Sugar is made from pure cane sugar and works cup-for-cup just like white sugar, but has a beautiful golden color.

I’ve always been intrigued by pineapple glazed ham, so I decided to do a bite-sized kosher version, using smoked turkey! The Super Bowl has always been about the big deli subs, so why not make glazed deli bites with a sweet sauce, inspired by the new Domino® Golden Sugar.

What I love about this recipe is that it uses easy to find ingredients and doesn’t take long to put together. They look adorable plated and no one will be able to resist the sweet, smoky and salty bite!

Now no matter who wins the game, you know you’ll be winning in the kitchen! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

 

Sweet Hawaiian Deli Skewers
YIELD: approximately 30 skewers

1 lb. chunk of smoked turkey
20oz. pineapple chunks, in 100% juice, juice reserved
12oz. maraschino cherries
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup Domino golden sugar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp sriracha

Cut the smoked turkey into chunks. Thread the turkey, pineapple and maraschino cherries onto skewers. Place the skewers onto two baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the reserved pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup and sriracha. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Brush the sauce onto the turkey, pineapple and cherries and bake for 15 minutes, glazing it again with the sauce halfway through cooking.

Serve warm.

This post is sponsored by Domino® Sugar.

Related Recipes:

sweet Hawaiian chicken
turkey and pastrami wrapped asparagus
drunken hasselback salami

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Funfetti Krembo


Nine years. NINE. WHOLE. YEARS. Somebody pinch me!!!!!! It’s almost like I’ve been pregnant with a blog, and now what? I’ve had a baby? Do I retire now? ha!


I’ve always kind of wondered that actually. Do bloggers actually retire? How does that work? Do you just stop posting? Not that it’s on the agenda or anything. I’d like to do this until I’m old and gray. Oh wait. I AM old and gray. Ok – I’d like to do this until I’m very old, and very gray.

I constantly surprise myself that I still haven’t gotten bored by all of this. I still jump up and down when I nail a recipe, and I do the happy dance when I shoot the perfect photo. I stay up at night dreaming up my next viral recipe and I cry happy tears when the hundreds of photos roll in and it actually happens!

Speaking of tears, I’m crying tears of gratitude as I write this because I am just SO. DANG. GRATEFUL. Grateful to have a job that nurtures me – mind, body and soul. Grateful that any of you even take the time to read this, cook my recipes, message me, share photos with me, and allow me to take a humble place upon your dinner table. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

This year, I was kinda more excited about using sparklers in my photos than anything else! This house was covered in firecrackers and I loved every minute of it! The krembos were a big surprise too, and my kids were so thrilled to come home to such a special treat!


Me? I’ve never been much of a cream person, I definitely prefer salty over sweet, but I love how pretty these turned out, and they are basically a kids cream come true.

Think about customizing them for a party with your sprinkle color of choice, or just bake up a batch of cookies and roll them in whatever fun toppings you have around.

Thank you for sticking around for 9 wonderful years. To many, many more!!

Funfetti Krembo

Yield: 12 krembo (plus extra cookie dough)

12 funfetti slice and bake cookies
1 recipe meringue cream
1 recipe chocolate magic shell
sprinkles, for garnish

Method:

Place the cream in a piping bag with a wide tip. Pipe onto the cookies, creating a mound. Place the cookies into the freezer for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Pour the chocolate magic shell into a large mug. Place the cookies on a rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the chocolate over the cookies to coat. Garnish with sprinkles and set aside to harden, or freeze until set.

For the cookies:
YIELD: 24 cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter or trans-fat-free margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c sprinkles
1/3 cup nonpareils

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the flour and salt and beat until fully combined. Add in the sprinkles.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into two. Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove 1 log (or both, if desired) from the freezer and roll into nonpareils. Slice into about 12 equally thick cookies and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely.

For the meringue cream:
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and dissolve completely over low heat. Simmer until a candy thermometer reads 235°F.

While the sugar is heating, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Once the syrup is ready, carefully and slowly drizzle the syrup into the mixing bowl with the egg whites while the mixer is running. Add the vanilla. Keep whipping the whites until the mixture is stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.

For the chocolate magic shell:
8 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

Related Posts:

8th Blogoversary} Funfetti Tart Number Cake
7th Blogoversary} Funfetti Rice Krispie Bites
6th Blogoversary} Funfetti Raspberry Palmiers
5th Blogoversary} Funfetti Pecan Turtles
4th Blogoversary} Funfetti Cake
2nd Blogoversary} BBQ Brisket
1st Blogoversary} Mulled Wine

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Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

Happy Chanukah everyone!! You gotta love this holiday of parties, fried foods and presents, it really is my favorite! Partly so because I like to do without the pressure. Quick and easy recipes, throw together a cheese board and buy some donuts and we’re good to go!

There’s also 8 days to spread out the homemade stuff – so I tackle one thing at a time – classic latkes one night, a mashup on another. Some funnel cakes and deep fried oreos if we’re having a party and these SUPER EASY cauliflower poppers for the prettiest and simplest appetizer!

Sure in general I’m all for the homemade from-scratch stuff, but we all need an easy recipe in our back pocket that’s semi-homemade, and breaded cauliflower florets are a gift to foodie kind!

I first tasted a variation on this recipe at an Israeli-style cafe in Florida, they’re all over the sweet chili sauce! It came out still steaming and crispy from the fryer with a mayo dip on the side and something about it was just addictive and delicious! I realized that it was really easy to replicate at home, so I’ve been making it ever since and they are always a crowd pleaser!

I went a little Asian with the toppings and dip but you can go Middle Eastern with some parsley over the top and some za’atar ranch on the side, or maybe Mexican with some taco seasoning and cilantro with some salsa for dippings.

Get dippin’!

Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

24oz. package breaded cauliflower florets
20oz. jar sweet chili sauce
1 scallion, chopped
1 tsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
canola oil, or cooking oil spray
spicy mayo, for dipping

Method:

To fry: heat oil in a deep fryer and fry the florets until crispy. Alternatively, heat oven to 425 degrees, spray the poppers with oil and bake until crispy.

While the poppers are hot, toss with sweet chili sauce, top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

VARIATION: try this recipe with breaded broccoli poppers or chicken nuggets!

Related Recipes:

falafel cauliflower poppers
cauliflower nachos
smoked paprika popcorn cauliflower

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